Chapter 71: Attending the Banquet, Musachi's Identity Exposed (Patreon)

Musachi sat in his shop wearing a reasonably formal outfit. After all, he was heading to the Mayor's banquet today, so he figured he should at least look presentable.

"Musachi, I've come to pick you up."

Before long, a luxury sedan pulled up at the curb outside his shop. Rina's figure appeared in the doorway, and a smile lit her stunning face as she greeted him.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Musachi smiled and nodded, then walked over to her side.

"Not at all. You're the Mayor's honored guest, so this is only my duty."

Smiling, Rina glanced at his collar and noticed it was a little crooked. She rose lightly onto her toes, reached up, and straightened it for him, then smiled, satisfied.

With Rina leading the way, the two soon arrived at an estate.

It wasn't municipal property, but one of Mayflower's private estates.

Mayflower was no lone wolf, either. In fact, he had a vast family, one that had held key posts in Eridu for generations.

This estate was merely one of their many holdings.

It stayed closed to the public on ordinary days and was brought out only when they hosted important guests.

Though clearly, the important guest this time wasn't really Musachi.

It was Yixuan.

A mere Proxy like Musachi didn't carry that kind of clout.

Once the car passed through the main gate, the first thing that met his eyes was a huge fountain, shimmering in the night lights. Beside it lay a sprawling stretch of greenery, and even from inside the car, Musachi could feel how vast it was.

Here and there, landscaped features dotted the grounds. A little stream wound through the courtyard, stocked with koi and ornamental fish.

"This place really isn't small, is it?"

Taking in the scenery, Musachi couldn't help marveling.

"This is only one of Lord Mayflower's many estates. It's used specifically to host important guests."

Rina explained with a smile from the driver's seat.

"Tsk tsk. Damn evil capitalism. I'm so jealous it hurts."

Musachi clicked his tongue as he looked around.

He wasn't actually jealous. For him now, material wealth like this no longer mattered much. He was just sighing at the world.

Ordinary people toiled their whole lives and still couldn't afford so much as a restroom in Lumina Square.

Yet some people were born with this much property already in their names…

"If you like, Lord Proxy, I could transfer the usage rights of one of the estates under my name to you. It isn't quite as grand as this one, but it's not far off."

Rina said with a smile.

"Under your name?"

Musachi stared at her in surprise, as if meeting her for the first time.

"Haven't I told you, Lord Proxy? My family, the Sebastiane family, holds quite a few properties in New Eridu too. As the next head of the family, I only work as a maid because I enjoy it."

"Rich lady, hungry, feed me."

Musachi switched to groveling without missing a beat, and his seamless fawning made Rina burst out laughing.

"If you marry into our family, Proxy, all of these holdings will be yours someday. I'm the next head, and I'm not interested in them anyway."

She chuckled as she said it.

"Pass. Big families make me uncomfortable just thinking about them."

Musachi curled his lip and flopped across the back seat with a dead-fish stare.

"You know me. I'm a bit of a slacker. Things like that don't interest me."

Back before his transmigration, if he'd met a rich lady like Rina, Musachi would have been a simp for sure.

But as time passed and his strength grew, his way of thinking changed again and again.

He'd lost that worldly craving, at least for money.

If he didn't have to marry in, Musachi would still be pretty hungry for Rina's body.

After all, a gentle maid with that much to offer? Who wouldn't be?

Seeing his look, Rina only smiled. "I was joking, too."

"Good. I thought I was really going to have to marry in. Having money is nice and all, but the thought of being boxed in by a pile of rules scares me a little. I'm so used to doing whatever I want, I doubt I could stand being tied down. And a family like that… there must be some real stubborn old fossils, right?"

Musachi suddenly felt curious.

"Mm… Elders? Yes, there are. But they can't control me anymore."

Rina chuckled.

"Even worse. With my personality, I'd probably make those old fossils choke to death."

The two chatted idly until they reached the main building where the banquet was held.

From the outside, it looked like a huge castle, grand and opulent.

After parking, Rina led Musachi toward the hall with graceful steps.

By now she'd stopped joking with him and had taken on an elegant, dignified bearing.

Seeing that, Musachi quieted down too.

The building was built for receiving guests, so once inside, they walked straight into the banquet hall.

The entire hall was decorated with extravagance, and at its center hung an intricate, dazzling crystal chandelier.

Those were rarely used nowadays because they were such a hassle and so costly to clean, but here it fit surprisingly well.

When Musachi entered, what he saw was a crowd of men and women in suits and formal wear, textbook elites, holding red wine or champagne and chatting in twos and threes.

When they saw Musachi, brought in personally by Rina, curiosity flickered in their eyes.

As members of New Eridu's upper circles, they all had more or less overlapping connections, but they still wondered who this person was, whom the head maid of Victoria Housekeeping Co. had gone to fetch herself.

Musachi swept his gaze across the room.

He didn't know most of the guests here, and he had no interest in them either.

Soon, he locked onto a table at the very front.

At that table he saw a few familiar faces.

Yixuan and Ju Fufu, and seated beside them, Hoshimi Miyabi and a middle-aged fox Thiren.

The man was handsome, and his features resembled Miyabi's about thirty percent. Family, probably?

When Fufu saw Musachi coming, joy lit her face. She nearly yelled for him to come over, then remembered this was a banquet and shouting wasn't exactly elegant. She stopped herself and just waved, looking every bit the Senior Sister.

Among the people of Yunkui Summit, Fufu was more of a mascot. But in outsiders' eyes, she was unquestionably a candidate for the next Sect Master of Yunkui Summit.

After all, Sect Master Yixuan had no disciples and Yixuan didn't care about the title, so the heavy responsibility could only fall on Fufu.

Still, though Fufu kept up the composed, lofty-master act on the surface, the tail behind her had already started wagging wildly.

Clearly, her heart was anything but calm.

"Thanks for the ride. I'll head in first."

Musachi said to Rina by his side, then walked toward his acquaintances under her gaze.

The people in the hall frowned in puzzlement when they saw him approach Yixuan's group.

Many of them had wanted to cozy up to that table, but they'd all met cold shoulders, with only perfunctory answers from everyone there. They'd taken the hint and stopped bothering them.

So when Musachi went over, they put on expressions of anticipation. A few drama lovers even waited maliciously to laugh at him.

But in the next second, they saw Musachi chatting and laughing with two great figures, Hoshimi Miyabi and Yixuan, and then sit down naturally between them.

???

Was that even allowed?

"Grandmaster Yixuan, that outfit looks great on you today. So radiant I thought a celestial maiden had descended from the heavens."

Whether by coincidence or design, a seat had been left empty between Yixuan and Miyabi. Musachi sat down without a hint of politeness, then turned to Yixuan in her black dress and said with a smile.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Yixuan only smiled, then looked at him a moment longer.

It's not even the first time you've seen me, and you're still acting like it is. This guy…

Today Yixuan wore the black gown she'd had tailored, and she looked intellectual and elegant with a touch of ease about her. She was, one could say, the absolute focal point of the banquet.

Beside Yixuan, Fufu had changed into a cute, fresh little dress. Since it was a banquet, she looked rather listless.

"What about me? What about me? How do I look?"

Watching her teacher get praised, Fufu looked at Musachi expectantly, waiting for his verdict.

"Senior Sister Fufu… so cuuute."

Musachi gave her a thumbs-up too, and Fufu froze as if she'd taken a hit.

C-cute?

Cute is all I get? When I picked this dress, I specifically chose a more mature style!

In Fufu's mind, even if she wasn't as mature as her teacher, she shouldn't be anywhere near the word cute…

Fufu had one problem: she constantly overlooked her own appearance.

In her imagination, after absorbing so much dominance from Earth Tiger comics, she should be radiating overwhelming presence. In reality, that adorable little face had no killing power at all.

Even in a relatively mature outfit, on her it still looked like children's clothes…

All she could do was blame her natural build.

"Ahem…"

Just then, Hoshimi Souichirou noticed his precious daughter's mouth dip slightly at the corners. She even coughed lightly to draw the man's attention.

She seems to care about this person?

For a moment, Souichirou looked at Musachi with a wary, appraising gaze.

He knew his daughter far too well. Her temperament was reserved, and apart from when she was with him or her mother, she never showed excess emotion. Yet now, merely because this man had praised Grandmaster Yixuan first, she was displeased…

Something was off, nine parts out of ten!

This was nothing like his daughter's character!

And then there was the gorgeous kimono Miyabi was wearing.

That made it feel even more off.

In the past, Miyabi had never cared about how she dressed for such occasions. She always wore her Hollow Special Operations Section 6 uniform, all business, all the time.

But yesterday, for this banquet, Miyabi had suddenly asked her mother for a kimono…

Souichirou remembered this kimono. It was the one Miyuki had worn back when she and he were young…

Hearing the sound beside him, Musachi turned toward Miyabi.

And found her staring at him with a blank face.

Well, maybe with a hint of unhappiness.

Musachi hurriedly racked his brain for how he'd offended her.

Then it struck him. Was it because he'd spoken to Yixuan first and neglected her?

Only then did he study her outfit properly.

The kimono was well tailored, not especially flashy, but it all came together harmoniously and gave off a fresh feeling. He could also see traces of alterations and cutting, as if to fit Miyabi's figure better.

And that was indeed the case. The kimono had been Miyuki's size, which was a bit big for Miyabi, so Miyuki had altered it to fit her.

Now it fit perfectly.

Looking at Miyabi before him, Musachi couldn't help a flash of admiration in his eyes.

Miyabi's usual spaced-out look was adorable, but it lacked a certain feminine softness. Today's kimono filled in exactly that quality.

"Looking great, Hoshimi Miyabi. That outfit suits you."

Musachi nodded and praised her.

"Mm. Thank you."

In an instant, the corners of Miyabi's mouth rose by two pixels.

If Musachi hadn't had such sharp eyesight, he probably wouldn't even have noticed.

"Miya, this gentleman is…"

Souichirou beside her could no longer sit still, and he turned curiously to his precious daughter.

"He's a Proxy."

Miyabi answered.

"A Proxy?"

His curiosity only grew. Given the nature of her missions, Miyabi had worked with quite a few Proxies, but mostly only in a professional capacity.

So what was it about this Proxy that made his daughter care so much?

"Such a promising young man. I understand my daughter has benefited from your help on her missions."

Though puzzled, Souichirou said it with a smile.

"Help is a stretch. I'm just a Proxy. Fighting is up to Hoshimi Miyabi. I just lead the way and play the extra."

Musachi said with a beaming smile, then reached out and shook Souichirou's hand lightly.

"An ordinary Proxy couldn't learn the arts of my Yunkui Summit, let alone use them so fluently."

Yixuan, chin propped on her hand, said with a smile.

Though Musachi had never shown his strength when working with Yixuan, she knew that anyone who could wield Yunkui Summit's arts and formations so skillfully couldn't be weak.

And in fact, Proxies in this world also had to descend into the Hollow, so they all had a certain amount of combat ability.

Hearing Yixuan's words, Souichirou looked at Musachi with a trace of surprise.

He hadn't expected Musachi to have even learned Yunkui Summit's arts.

It seemed he had deep ties to Yunkui Summit…

Souichirou held no objection over Musachi's status. New Eridu was full of remarkable people, and he knew that the first head of the Hoshimi Family had come from a poor background and risen from nothing, which was how the family's present glory came to be.

Back then, Yunkui Summit, strong as it was, was somewhat inferior to the Hoshimi Family. Now it was a different story.

During the Fall of the Old City, Yunkui Summit had sent out its entire sect to save lives, earning great prestige among the people. Afterward, Sect Master Yixuan and Yixuan became Void Hunter-level investigators one after the other, contributing enormously to New Eridu in various ways. To this day, Yunkui Summit hadn't expanded aggressively and remained a single mountain sect, but its standing among the people was anything but low.

It held absolute sway in places like Waifei Peninsula, where countless sects coexisted.

In other words, Yunkui Summit was something like the head of the righteous path, with followers answering its every call.

And seeing how Grandmaster Yixuan treated Musachi, Souichirou grew serious in his own manner toward him.

At the very least, he would treat him as a peer.

"Mm, as expected of the Mayor's banquet. It really is lavish. If the Manager weren't busy, we'd probably never get into a fancy banquet like this in our lives."

In a corner of the hall sat a table with several people.

The one speaking was a lively, cute girl with black-and-white hair.

She sat in her chair looking left and right, curious about everything. Yet no one took her lightly because of it.

Because they also had a certain status.

They were Adjudicators of the Krampus Compliance Authority.

"All right, Dialyn, quiet down. The Manager doesn't want to come, so all we have to do is sit here quietly. The Mayor won't notice us."

Beside Dialyn, a dainty, adorable rabbit Thiren with pink hair all over said helplessly.

She was at a loss as to how to handle this junior.

Of course, calling the Manager busy was just an excuse. The truth was that the Manager of the Krampus Compliance Authority simply didn't like occasions like this.

Though the Krampus Compliance Authority's Adjudicators held enormous power within TOPS, their special position made them unpopular.

After all, in an organization this vast, whose conscience was entirely clean? The Krampus Compliance Authority existed to clean up exactly that kind of thing, so people avoided them like snakes and scorpions.

"But who's that guy? He's so handsome! And he's sitting right between two Void Hunters…"

After being scolded by Senior Zhao, Dialyn said "Oh" and stayed quiet for a while. Then she looked over at Musachi at the first-row table in the distance.

She leaned her head toward Zhao and asked curiously.

Yixuan didn't hold the Void Hunter title, but among the people she'd long been regarded as one.

When a person's strength is Void Hunter-level, their reputation is Void Hunter-level, and their contributions are Void Hunter-level, whether they officially hold the title no longer matters.

"No idea. Probably the Proxy who gave Belobog Heavy Industries all that trouble? Come to think of it, if it's him, attending the banquet and sitting between the two of them makes sense."

Zhao said calmly.

"Yeah, probably. I remember the Belobog Heavy Industries people didn't take it well and went looking for trouble with him, and it turned out this guy knew a ton of big shots… I was curious back then and wanted to look up his info, but the Manager wouldn't let me, no matter what. Said things are sensitive lately and it's best not to provoke him, in case it brings trouble…"

Dialyn said, looking at her with a beaming smile.

Zhao, meanwhile, watched Musachi and fell into thought.

Their current assignment also had something to do with him. If so, maybe they could invite him to join?

"Didn't expect to see you here, Krampus Adjudicators."

While the two were thinking, a languid figure strolled over and stopped by their table, saying with a smile.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

She said with a smile.

"Mm… I remember you. You're Sarah, right? Everyone else from TOPS would like to stay half a kilometer away from us, yet you walked right up and sat down next to us. You must be quite confident."

Zhao looked at Sarah and said with some curiosity.

"Heh heh. You hold a special position in Krampus, and the people with something to hide naturally fear you. But I'm different."

As she spoke, Sarah brushed back her hair, her gaze surveying the other guests in the hall from the corner of her eye.

But when that sidelong glance reached Musachi's table, she froze.

At that table, she saw a figure, or rather… she saw her god.

The god who, ten years ago, in her moment of deepest despair, had shared a ray of light with her…

Sarah had never imagined that the one she'd longed to meet countless times would appear in such an idle, dull moment…

She had come here originally just to go through the motions. Now, however, she was absolutely certain she'd been right to come.

Yet her gaze changed for only an instant. Immediately, she buried her emotions deep in her eyes and turned to Zhao beside her.

"Who's the gentleman sitting at the same table as the two Void Hunters? He looks unfamiliar. To sit between two Void Hunters, he must be a big name himself."

Sarah asked Zhao, a smile on her lips almost unconsciously.

"Hm? You don't know him? Shouldn't you all hate him? After all, it's because of this Proxy that certain people's ambitions inside TOPS fell apart at the last step…"

So it was him.

Sarah understood, and now she knew exactly who Musachi was.

Just then, a tall figure with his hair combed neatly back slowly entered the banquet hall.

As he approached, the noisy hall fell quiet.

Musachi looked at the slim figure with some curiosity.

He'd only ever seen Mayflower on TV, but in person, the man seemed more approachable than he'd imagined.

He had none of the awe-inspiring bearing of a man in power.

"Thank you all for attending despite your busy schedules. This banquet is held to celebrate our two esteemed lady investigators…"

As expected of an official, the rhetoric came out in neat bureaucratic strings. Listening to the Mayor, Musachi started to doze off.

Still, Mayflower had one trait that raised Musachi's opinion of him: he didn't say much. After a few simple sentences, he stepped down from the podium.

However, he didn't leave directly. Instead, he walked toward Musachi's table.

"Apologies. I've been swamped with work and kept you all waiting."

After sitting at the table, Mayflower nodded to everyone with a smile.

"Lord Mayor, you handle a thousand matters a day. Making time to appear at a banquet is already no small thing."

Souichirou smiled and offered the polite pleasantry.

"I thought you'd leave right after the speech, like you always do."

Yixuan said calmly beside him.

"Heh heh. You two completed the mission flawlessly this time, so naturally I can't just go through the motions like before. Thank you both for your service to New Eridu. Allow me to toast you all."

As Mayflower spoke, he raised his glass, and the others at the table took theirs up too.

Souichirou's glass held low-proof sake.

Miyabi held a glass of melon juice. Normally banquets didn't stock melon juice, but any banquet Miyabi attended was an exception. All of New Eridu's upper echelons knew that if you wanted to win over Void Hunter Hoshimi Miyabi, jewelry might not work, but a melon would work every time…

Few at the table were actually drinking. Yixuan held a glass of low-proof wine, and Fufu a glass of green apple juice.

As for Musachi, he'd taken a glass of grape juice and was treating it as red wine.

He'd never liked drinking and had never understood the joy of booze and cigarettes. One gives you a headache and makes you sick afterward, the other makes you choke when you smoke it. He had no idea what the appeal was…

Mayflower didn't mind, though.

Because he didn't like drinking either. His glass held the same thing: high-concentration grape juice.

It was so thick it clung to the sides of the glass. Mayflower often used it as stand-in red wine at banquets, and to this day hardly anyone had noticed.

What happened to the ones who noticed and raised the question on the spot? Naturally, the next day they stepped into the office left foot first and got carried out, chair and all.

What else did you expect?

"Heh heh. So this must be Mr. Musachi? Both Void Hunters have praised you highly, saying that without you the mission would have been very difficult. A promising talent like you, would you be interested in working for the municipal government? I'd personally arrange a position for you. The city hungers for talent, and an outstanding investigator like you would be very welcome."

Mayflower said, studying Musachi with interest.

For a moment, Miyabi and Yixuan both looked at him.

They wanted to see what he would choose.

Miyabi still held some expectation. If Musachi became an official investigator, Hollow Special Operations Section 6 could ask for him on every mission.

As for Yixuan, she didn't mind either way.

"Thank you for the kind offer, Mayor, but I'll pass. I'm free-spirited by nature, and putting me inside the system with all its rules and restrictions wouldn't be a good fit. Even if you don't mind, it would still look bad, and people would inevitably gossip. Anyone who didn't know better would think I got the post by living off the two Void Hunters."

Musachi smiled and declined without a trace of regret.

But his words nearly made even Mayflower crack.

Aren't you living off two Void Hunters?

Anyone who wasn't a fool could see that both Yixuan and Miyabi clearly cared a great deal about you…

Still, Mayflower had undergone professional training and had long since evolved into a seasoned composure bomb, able to keep a straight face in even the most unbearable scenes.

So very quickly, a look of regret spread across his face.

"What a pity. An outstanding investigator like you really ought to be in a better position…"

"It's not that, exactly. If the Mayor ever needs something, I'm not unwilling to cooperate. Since I live in New Eridu, I'm naturally a part of New Eridu."

"A man of great principle. That sentence is enough. Allow me to toast you."

Mayflower nodded with a smile, raised his glass, and drained it in one bold swallow.

Seeing that, Musachi refused to be outdone and downed his in one gulp as well.

Anyone watching would've thought the two were hardened drinking heroes.

"My position is special. With me here, the others can't loosen up, and I have some business to attend to anyway. Excuse me, everyone."

After drinking, he gave a slight nod and left.

Only after Mayflower had gone did the people at the banquet slowly relax.

Quite a few of them now regarded Musachi with a touch of curiosity.

If the Mayor treated someone so courteously, that person had to be formidable.

With that thought, many people used toasts as an excuse to try to get close to him.

The key was that no one strikes a smiling face, and everyone who came over was very polite. Some even used cover stories.

They'd come to chat with Souichirou, or talk to Miyabi, and then steer the conversation toward Musachi.

Over the course of the evening, Musachi didn't get drunk, but he drank himself full of grape juice.

So much so that even his pee smelled like grape juice.

"Damn, never again. I'm never coming to one of these banquets again…"

When the banquet ended, Musachi couldn't help complaining.

"That's how banquets are. Nobody really comes to eat and drink. Most people have their own agendas, whether gathering intelligence or making connections."

Walking ahead of him, Rina smiled as she listened to his complaints.

As she spoke, Rina led Musachi to his room.

The estate was quite far from Musachi's home, and with the banquet ending so late, Rina had suggested he stay the night. A guest room had already been prepared.

Quite a few other guests had chosen to stay as well.

Musachi figured why not and accepted her offer.

"By the way, don't you have to look after the other guests?"

Musachi suddenly wondered. There had to be plenty of them here.

"Of course not. The other maids take care of the other guests. As head maid, I don't receive guests, though you're the exception, Musachi."

Rina said with a soft laugh.

"What an honor."

Musachi said, and walked into the room.

Behind him, Rina gently closed the door.

But she didn't step outside.

Now the layout of the room seemed less like a guest room and more like a cage Musachi had walked into, with Rina shutting the door behind him like someone who'd caught a turtle in a jar.